After more than two decades on death row, the man convicted of murdering 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson was executed Wednesday evening, bringing an end to a case that has haunted the Farmersville community for over 20 years.

Moises Sandoval Mendoza, a former classmate of Tolleson’s, was put to death by lethal injection at 6 p.m. April 23 at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. Mendoza was convicted of abducting and killing Tolleson in March 2004, a crime described by Collin County Criminal District Attorney Greg Willis as “brutal” and “unforgivable.”

“Moises Mendoza was executed tonight for the 2004 abduction and murder of 20-year-old Rachelle Tolleson—a brutal, unforgivable crime that devastated her family and shocked our community,” Willis said in a statement issued shortly after the execution. “From the very beginning, there was no real doubt about his guilt. He confessed. He led investigators to where he dumped Rachelle’s body and directed them to other physical evidence linking him to the crime.”

According to Willis, the detective who took Mendoza’s statement reported that he showed no remorse—in fact, the detective said Mendoza “seemed proud of what he’d done.”

Tolleson’s disappearance on March 17, 2004, prompted a weeklong search that drew support from local law enforcement, volunteers, and agencies including the FBI and Texas Rangers. When her mother arrived at the Tolleson residence the following morning, she found the back door open and her six-month-old granddaughter alone in bed. There were signs of a struggle inside the home, leading police to treat the disappearance as an abduction.

Mendoza was arrested March 24, after a friend, Stacy Marie Garcia, reported to police that he had confessed to strangling Tolleson. She told investigators that Mendoza had driven her to the area where he later admitted dumping the body—land owned by a relative near U.S. Highway 380. Mendoza reportedly attempted to destroy forensic evidence by burning Tolleson’s remains.

The details Garcia provided—many of which had not been made public—matched what investigators found at the scene. Texas Ranger A.P. Davidson confirmed the site Garcia identified was where Tolleson’s body was eventually recovered.

Mendoza was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. His conviction and sentence were reviewed repeatedly over the next 20 years, with every court upholding the original verdict.

“Each one affirmed what the jury decided: that the evidence was overwhelming, and the sentence was just,” Willis stated. “Tonight, justice was finally carried out.”

“Nothing can undo what Rachelle’s loved ones have endured,” he added. “But justice is not about erasing the past—it’s about honoring the life that was taken. I hope tonight brings some measure of resolution to her family and friends. My thoughts and prayers remain with them as they continue to carry the weight of this unimaginable loss.”

Editor’s note: The Farmersville Times’ March and April 2004 editions were used in this story.

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From Staff Reports  •  [email protected]